Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar urged ASEAN leaders to strengthen regional security cooperation during a conference in Manila on Wednesday [1].
The call for deeper ties comes as growing geopolitical uncertainty threatens the economic stability and supply-chain resilience of the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar said the current global environment is too volatile for any single country to manage its security needs in isolation.
Speaking at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, Jaishankar said the world is "extremely turbulent" and that no nation can face these challenges alone [2]. He said the pillars of stability—specifically security, energy, food, and health—can no longer be taken for granted [3].
Jaishankar said the volatility of the modern era requires a shift in how nations approach risk. He said it is only through deeper cooperation that regional partners can effectively de-risk and diversify their interests [4]. This strategy aims to protect member states from sudden disruptions in trade or essential resources caused by external geopolitical shocks.
The minister's visit to the Philippines spans July 22-23, 2026 [1]. His agenda includes attending both the ASEAN and Quad foreign ministers' meetings to align security interests across the region.
Throughout his remarks, Jaishankar focused on the necessity of collective resilience. He said that the interdependence of these nations means that a failure in one sector, such as food or health security, could create a domino effect across the regional economy [3].
“Energy, food, and health security can't be taken for granted.”
India's emphasis on 'de-risking' and 'diversification' signals a strategic push to reduce reliance on single-source supply chains, likely in response to the volatility of global trade. By framing health, food, and energy as security issues rather than just economic ones, India is positioning itself as a central security partner for ASEAN nations in an era of unpredictable geopolitical shifts.
